By David Suzuki  The Indigenous “Land Back” movement isn’t new, but it’s gaining increasing public attention and support.  In this time of facing uncomfortable truths about past and ongoing harms inflicted on Indigenous Peoples and others,  it’s important to understand the history of colonial oppression, and the roots and goals of Land Back and what it  means.   It’s not just about land. In the first of three short Land Back videos (about 12 minutes each) — “ Past ,” “ Present ”  and “ Future ” — Ojibwe journalist Jesse Wente says, “It’s about self-determination for our Peoples here that should  include some access to the territories and resources in a more equitable fashion, and for us to have control over how  that actually looks.”  Throughout Canada’s history, Indigenous Peoples have been forced from the lands that sustained them for millennia  to ever-diminishing “reservations” so colonizers could exploit “resources....

  By Jack Heppner Finally, after living with Covid restrictions for so long, we have arrived at the summer picnic season! We  all look forward to times of “dining out” with family and friends, especially since that option is only  available here in Southern Manitoba for a few months every year.  My concern is that such events have too often become “plastic picnics.” I have an image clearly etched on  my mind that leaves me with a feeling that something has gone wrong with our picnics.  Two or three families have just finished a picnic in the park – perhaps a family gathering or simply  friends getting together. The feast is over and now the picnic tables are piled high with garbage, mostly  some form of plastic, styrofoam or paper. Cups, plates, cutlery, food containers, bags, wrappers, pop and  water bottles and everything else you need for a modern picnic!  But this is only the beginning of the unfolding tragedy. Now you see a couple o...